Estonian NGO collecting donations for Afghans, those in need on Lithuanian border

TALLINN - The Estonian Refugee Council is collecting donations for the Afghan families that have arrived in Estonia as well as those in need on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border.

At the request of the Lithuanian Red Cross, the Refugee Council is collecting donations to support those in need with warm clothing and hygiene items on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border, the organization said. In addition, the Refugee Council, together with NGO Mondo, is calling for support for the Afghan families evacuated to Estonia.

"August has brought us alarming news from near and far. Against this background, the Refugee Council has launched two campaigns," Eero Janson, head of the Estonian Refugee Council, said.

More than 4,000 people have been placed in Lithuanian accommodation centers and there is a shortage of feminine hygiene items, diapers and warm clothes. Clothes and shoes are donated by the Sobralt Sobrale (From Friend to Friend) initiative, a cooperation partner of the Estonian Refugee Council, while the necessary hygiene items are procured in cooperation with the non-profit Feministeerium. The money raised in the framework of the campaign will be used to transport the items and send two employees to Lithuania in early September.

Anu Viltrop, head of support services at the Refugee Council, said that after passing the international protection proceedings and staying at the Vao refugee center, families brought to Estonia from Afghanistan need to find accommodation. "The local government initially pays for the housing, but this accommodation must first be found with the help of good people. In addition, we are waiting for job offers that do not initially require proficiency in the Estonian language, and financial donations to the Estonian Refugee Council's mental health fund to provide essential mental health services to families with traumatic experiences, the provision of which the state is unfortunately having trouble with," Viltrop said.

Financial donations for Lithuania will be collected until Sept. 5.